Articles
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Browse more than 65,000 articles authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.
Filter Total Items: 77762
Climate and weather drivers in southern California Santa Ana Wind and non-Santa Wind fires Climate and weather drivers in southern California Santa Ana Wind and non-Santa Wind fires
Background. Autumn and winter Santa Ana Winds (SAW) are responsible for the largest and most destructive wildfires in southern California. Aims. 1) To contrast fires ignited on SAW days vs non-SAW days, 2) evaluate the predictive ability of the Canadian Fire Weather Index (CFWI) for these two fire types, and 3) determine climate and weather factors responsible for the largest wildfires...
Authors
Jon Keeley, Michael Flannigan, Tim J. Brown, Tom Rolinski, Daniel Cayan, Alexandra D. Syphard, Janin Guzman-Morales, Alexander Gershunov
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) impairs lipid homeostasis in zebrafish larvae through activation of PPARα Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) impairs lipid homeostasis in zebrafish larvae through activation of PPARα
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), an emerging short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, has been frequently detected in aquatic environments. Adverse outcome pathway studies have shown that perfluorinated compounds impair lipid homeostasis through peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs). However, many of these studies were performed at high concentrations and may...
Authors
Ying-Jie He, Haolin Liao, Ge Yang, Wenhui Qui, Rongrong Xuan, Guomao Zheng, Bentuo Xu, Xin Yang, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Daniel Schlenk, Chunmiao Zheng
Foraging ecology of southern sea otters at the northern range extent informs regional population dynamics Foraging ecology of southern sea otters at the northern range extent informs regional population dynamics
Sea otters Enhydra lutris are vital keystone predators throughout the North Pacific that were nearly extirpated during the maritime fur trade. Recovery of southern sea otters E. l. nereis has proceeded slowly, with much of their historical range remaining unoccupied, resulting in reduced ecosystem functioning. Numerous studies have used foraging metrics to assess the population status of...
Authors
Sophia N. Lyon, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Julie L. Yee, Jessica Fujii, Nicole M. Thometz
Paired comparisons with quiet surface drones show evidence of fish behavioral response to motorized vessels during acoustic surveys in Lake Superior Paired comparisons with quiet surface drones show evidence of fish behavioral response to motorized vessels during acoustic surveys in Lake Superior
Acoustic surveys are important for fish stock assessments, but fish responses to survey vessels can bias acoustic estimates. We leveraged quiet uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to characterize potential bias in acoustic surveys. Five conventional motorized ships overtook USVs from astern over 2 km transects at night in Lake Superior in 2022. We examined the difference in acoustic...
Authors
Thomas M. Evans, Lars G. Rudstam, Suresh A Sethi, Daniel L. Yule, David Warner, Steve A. Farha, Andrew R. Barnard, Mark Richard Dufour, Timothy P. O’Brien, Kayden Nasworthy, Ian Harding, Bradley A. Ray, Edmund J. Isaac, Joshua Blankenheim, Hannah B. Blair, James M. Watkins, Steven A. Senczyszyn, James Roberts, Peter C. Esselman
Using systematic conservation planning to recover climate resilient habitat for threatened and endangered species while retaining areas of cultural importance Using systematic conservation planning to recover climate resilient habitat for threatened and endangered species while retaining areas of cultural importance
The effective management of at-risk species often requires fine-scale actions by natural resource managers. However, balancing these actions with concurrent land uses is challenging, particularly when compounded by the interplay of climate shifts, and escalating wildland–urban interface conflicts. We used spatial prioritization tools designed for biodiversity conservation to help...
Authors
Christina Leopold, Lucas Berio Fortini, Jonathan Sprague, Rachel Sprague, Steven C. Hess
Range-wide salamander densities reveal a key component of terrestrial vertebrate biomass in eastern North American forests Range-wide salamander densities reveal a key component of terrestrial vertebrate biomass in eastern North American forests
Characterizing the population density of species is a central interest in ecology. Eastern North America is the global hotspot for biodiversity of plethodontid salamanders, an inconspicuous component of terrestrial vertebrate communities, and among the most widespread is the eastern red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus. Previous work suggests population densities are high with...
Authors
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Jillian Elizabeth Fleming, Elizabeth Bastiaans, Adrianne Brand, Jacey Brooks, Catherine Devlin, Kristen Epp, Matt Evans, M. Caitlin Fisher-Reid, Brian Gratwicke, Kristine Grayson, Natalie Haydt, Raisa Hernandez-Pacheco, Daniel J. Hocking, Amanda Hyde, Michael Losito, Maisie MacKnight, Tanya Matlaga, Louise Mead, David J. Munoz, William B. Peterman, Veronica Puza, Charles Shafer, Sean Sterrett, Chris Sutherland, Lily M. Thompson, Alexa R. Warwick, Alexander D. Wright, Kerry Yurewicz, David A. W. Miller
Utility of an instantaneous salt dilution method for measuring streamflow in headwater streams Utility of an instantaneous salt dilution method for measuring streamflow in headwater streams
Streamflow records are biased toward large streams and rivers, yet small headwater streams are often the focus of ecological research in response to climate change. Conventional flow measurement instruments such as acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADVs) do not perform well during low-flow conditions in small streams, truncating the development of rating curves during critical baseflow...
Authors
Karli M. Rogers, Jennifer H. Fair, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karmann G. Kessler, Zachary A. Kelly, Martin A. Briggs
Fish size structures in lakes of the Lower Mississippi River floodplain Fish size structures in lakes of the Lower Mississippi River floodplain
The Lower Mississippi River has a floodplain that includes >1350 perennial lakes carved by shifts in river courses and other hydro-fluvial processes over eons. Notwithstanding their similar provenances, these waterbodies exhibit an immense variety of morphologies and successional stages that illustrate their natural trajectory from aquatic to forested wetlands. A result of this...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, D.J. Dembkowski
Large-scale dam removal and ecosystem restoration Large-scale dam removal and ecosystem restoration
Rivers underpin vital ecosystems that support aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity and many ecosystem services, including food, water, culture, and recreation (Dudgeon et al. 2006). After centuries of building dams on rivers across the world, river restoration via dam removal is receiving increased public attention, financial investment, and scientific study because of various issues of...
Authors
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Jeffrey J. Duda, Laura Soissons, Jean-Marc Roussel
Redistribution of debris-flow sediment following severe wildfire and floods in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA Redistribution of debris-flow sediment following severe wildfire and floods in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
Severe fire on steep slopes increases stormwater runoff and the occurrence of runoff-initiated debris flows. Predicting locations of debris flows and their downstream effects on trunk streams requires watershed-scale high-resolution topographic data. Intense precipitation in July and September 2013 following the June 2011 Las Conchas Fire in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, led to...
Authors
Jonathan M. Friedman, Anne C. Tillery, Samuel J. Alfieri, Elizabeth Rachaelann Skaggs, Patrick B. Shafroth, Craig D. Allen
Developing, testing, and communicating earthquake forecasts: Current practices and future directions Developing, testing, and communicating earthquake forecasts: Current practices and future directions
While deterministically predicting the time and location of earthquakes remains impossible, earthquake forecasting models can provide estimates of the probabilities of earthquakes occurring within some region over time. To enable informed decision-making of civil protection, governmental agencies, or the public, Operational Earthquake Forecasting (OEF) systems aim to provide...
Authors
Leila Mizrahi, Irina Dallo, Nicholas van der Elst, Annemarie Christophersen, Ilaria Spassiani, Maximillian J. Werner, Pablo Iturrieta, Jose Bayona, Iunio Iervolino, Max Schneider, Morgan T. Page, Jiancang Zhuang, Marcus Herrmann, Andrew J. Michael, Guiseppe Falcone, Warner Marzocchi, David A. Rhoades, Matthew Gerstenberger, Laura Gulia, Danijel Schorlemmer, Julia Becker, Marta Han, Lorena Kuratle, Michele Marti, Stefan Wiemer
Effects of temporal hydrologic shifts on the population biology of an endangered freshwater fish in a dryland river ecosystem Effects of temporal hydrologic shifts on the population biology of an endangered freshwater fish in a dryland river ecosystem
Species occupying dryland river ecosystems often experience “boom-and-bust” demographic cycles that coincide with shifts in habitat availability. Knowing whether declines are within natural thresholds versus those caused by acute human disturbance is critical for managing protected species. We investigated temporal shifts in abundance and habitat use of an endangered population of the...
Authors
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Philip Robert Gould, Jennifer Pareti, Andrew Aitken, Eric Morrissette, Adam R. Backlin, Chris Dellith, Robert N. Fisher